Overall Impression Tucked behind Dock Road, the main street next to the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town’s most popular attraction-cum-mall, the Queen Victoria was in a coveted location. Although it was across the street from the city’s best known upscale shopping center, the hotel itself never felt crowded. The well maintained boutique hotel with a gourmet restaurant was stylishly decorated and spotless. The staff were friendly and service oriented.

As a guest of the hotel I had access to the facilities of its nearby sister hotels, including a workout room and a spa, both in separate buildings. What I liked most was my well appointed, spacious and elegant corner presidential suite with a wrap around porch featuring views of the Waterfront and Table Mountain. Inside the suite, I was in a cocoon of comfort within easy reach of the hustle and bustle of shops and activities on offer at the Waterfront. At the same time, it was private and quiet.

I had a memorable stay at the Queen Victoria thanks to its superb location, luxury amenities, shared facilities, convenient ground floor restaurant and bar, excellent customer service, and my outstanding presidential suite. I say hats off to the Queen Victoria Hotel.

Children The hotel welcomed children 12 and older.

Class of Accommodation Five Star Hotel

Connectivity I was able to get online and access a VPN with ease the first day and part of the second day. By the evening of the second day I couldn’t access the internet despite multiple attempts. The following morning I connected with ease. Every time I wanted to use the internet connection I had to enter my username and password in the popup window.

General Manager Theunie Marais

Handicapped Access There were Wheelchair Friendly rooms and an elevator.

Length of Stay Two nights

Location Steps away from the popular V&A Waterfront shopping center in Cape Town, South Africa.

Size There were three suites and 32 rooms in the three story hotel which employed 60 staff.

Year Opened-Renovated The hotel opened in 2011.

Lobby and Common Areas The decorative style of the hotel was Contemporary Opulence. Highlights included black marble walls, white marble floors, and an open atrium in the center. Past the hotel entrance, there were two staff desks immediately to the right. A light filled lobby was to the left after the desks. The hotel bar and Dash restaurant were behind the lobby. The bar and restaurant were separated only by a shared gas fireplace. From the lobby a spiral staircase and a glass enclosed elevator connected guest floors. Paintings from the nearby Everard Read Gallery, including some by Beezy Bailey, were on display in the restaurant. There were views of Table Mountain from the restaurant terrace (it was too chilly to sit outside while I was there). The guestroom hallways had artwork and open views of the atrium.

Bathroom Near the suite entrance there was a half bathroom (toilet and sink) for guests. The master bathroom was light filled, spacious and inviting. It had floor to ceiling white gray marble on most walls (there were minor signs of staining in places). On one side there was an oversize bathtub with a wall mounted television for decadent leisure relaxation. Across the room from the bathtub, there was an oversize shower enclosure with a glass wall and door and a built-in marble seat. The shower had hand held (mounted on the wall) and rain-shower shower heads. In the center of the bathroom, there was a cushy bench and a stool. There were double sinks set against the wall with a large framed mirror above them. In the far back there was a separate room with a sink, toilet and bidet.

Room I stayed in a spacious, elegant and well appointed 124 square meter suite, Room 1304, also known as the Presidential Suite. It had a gray color theme, wood floors, high ceilings, and a thermostat for each room. It had recessed lights as well as chandeliers in the dining room, bathroom, and bedroom. It was designed to encourage “an ambiguous flow of the interior and exterior” space. In other words, the views and covered porch were meant as an extension of the room. But for the chilly winter weather I would have lingered on the balcony double chaise lounge bed to soak up the breathtaking views of Table Mountain, the Waterfront and the working harbor. Had I wished to entertain a handful of guests the dining room and contemporary style lounge would have been ideal.

A separate bedroom, also with a pretty view of the Waterfront, especially of the Cape Wheel, and direct access to the wrap around porch, had carpeting, a king bed with soft velour like headboard and foot board, mirrored matching night tables, large closet and two entry points to the unconventionally large bathroom. In the corner, facing the wall, there was a glass topped desk beneath a rectangular silver colored framed mirror with a glass lamp. The two luggage racks and bench at the foot of the bed were convenient. Although the suite faced the large shopping area and I could hear the sounds of the city on the porch, the interior was quiet.

The dining table and its armchairs offered seating for eight. The fabric cushioned living room furniture was comfortable as well as pretty. The sofa faced a flatscreen LG television and oversize entertainment cabinet with an iPod dock. As with the rest of the room the theme was light gray. The furniture was set atop patterned carpeting with khaki accents.

One of my favorite features was the suite’s corner wrap around terrace facing the Waterfront and harbor at its widest and Table Mountain and Dock Road on the other side. There was cushioned and comfortable outdoor furniture on the terrace.

Food and Restaurants Breakfast consisted of a buffet with cereal, cold cuts, slices fruit (including green melon, strawberries, Cape gooseberries, passion fruit, guava). A hot made to order breakfast was also available. There was a variety of looseleaf teas including organic rooibos tea (a favorite). It was the first time I came across looseleaf organic rooibos in a hotel. I particularly appreciated the glass tea pot with a candle that kept the tea warm. Following a staff recommendation, on my second morning, I had breakfast on the outdoor terrace adjacent to the pool of the Dock House, a boutique sister property across the parking lot from the Queen Victoria. It was a treat as I was the sole guest dining outdoors that morning. Sitting under the serene shade of a large tree facing the old building made me wonder what life had been like in historic Cape Town.

In the evening, there was live piano music in the bar and restaurant. Before entering the fine dining restaurant my dinner companions and I sampled a sweet cocktail (a favorite) by the fireplace that divided the bar and restaurant. I was pleased that we were seated near the fireplace for our meal. My three course dinner at Dash was colorful and artistically presented. The service friendly and attentive. I particularly enjoyed the delicate petit fours at the end and I liked that Sam Wasserman, the executive sous chef, sourced ingredients from local producers.

Amenities There were complimentary self service filter coffee and herbal teas with biscuits in my suite. There was 24-hour room service, two flat screen televisions and pay-for-view services, thermostat controlled air conditioning, Philips night table alarm clock, king bed, electronic safe, bathrobes, iPod dock, and slippers. There were Charlotte Rhys toiletries (bath salts, shampoo, soap), domestic and international plugs in a convenient location next to the desk, a Siemens cordless phone, and a minibar. There were two heated towel racks in the bathroom, one next to the bathtub and the other next to the shower. A complimentary newspaper was available from a selection of domestic and international editions. When I checked in the staff person asked my preference. The following morning there was a computer printed edition of The New York Times for me.

Facilities Restaurant and bar onsite. Nearby shared pool and spa.

Fitness Center and Spa Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. I had access to a fitness room located in a separate building and the Sanctuary Spa (owned and managed by a separate company) in a building across the parking lot from the hotel. To use the fitness room a staff person had to escort me and open it. There were two Technogym treadmills, one elliptical machine, two bicycles, one yoga ball, one bench press and free weights beginning at four kilos. There were two wall mounted televisions, towels, and a pitcher of chilled water. The treadmills, elliptical machine and one bicycle were adjacent to the window and had partial views of Table Mountain. Although my welcome letter indicated booking gym time was recommended during peak hours I was the only guest using it at 8 a.m. As I left another guest arrived.

Pool As a guest at the Queen Victoria I had access to a pool (closed for winter during my stay) next to the Dock House and shared by three sister properties. It was 11 meters long by five meters wide and ranged in depth between .8 meters and 1.4 meters.

Other The hotel had received the Expedia Insiders’ Select Award for 2014 and 2015 as well as the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award. With the exception of designated smoking areas, the entire hotel was a non smoking building.

Service There was twice daily room service. All the staff members I met such as Norbert, manager at Dash, the ground floor restaurant, and Mr. B. also at Dash; as well as Nelson at the entrance, and Zara at reception were friendly, helpful and attentive. One of the entrance staff escorted me to the door of the restaurant at the Waterfront to make sure I arrived on time for my reservation.